A-Frame Garden Trellis

July 11, 2011

When we built the raised beds last fall I spent lots of time reading all about gardening and making decisions about how we would grow and what we would grow. One thing I realized early on was that to maximize space I would need to grow “up.” So I set off on an internet research quest to find the best trellises that I could make that would stay affordable. I didn’t keep track (bad me!) but I think we spent around $10 per trellis, though we did have the screws and some of the stakes (feet) already.

By chance I came across this design while I was looking up something else on vegetablegardener.com. The trellis plan, by Greg Holdsworth, was one of the best I saw in that it had two sides and was easy to build. The a-frame design distributes the weight both directions which has worked out nicely.

The trellises were easy to build with commonly available materials. After my husband cut the boards, I screwed the frames together then stapled the chicken wire to it. I do think chicken wire with bigger holes would work a tad bit better now that I’m using them.

One of the best features of the design is the removable feet. After a year in wet soil there’s a good chance the feet will be rotting. With this setup they unscrew and you can screw new ones on. Instead of cutting a board for this like the plan shows, I used pre-cut stakes.

So far the trellises are doing a sound job, holding up beans, peas, pumpkins (getting heavier by the day!), and cukes without faltering.

Checkout Greg’s Plans and Instructions Here

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4 responses to “A-Frame Garden Trellis”

Amy @ Homestead Revival

July 11, 2011 at 5:31 pm

EXCELLENT!! I really like the solution for the feet to be changed out. So glad you posted this!

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Georgia

July 11, 2011 at 10:03 pm

i am in the same place you were last year! trying to figure out the best way to plan a garden. I think this might work for me if i can get someone to help me build it (that isn’t my area of expertise). how do the pumpkins work on that?? can not visualize it :0)

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1. Katie Beth
  
  July 11, 2011 at 10:14 pm
  
  My husband helped cut the boards, but I think HD or Lowes will cut them for you if you ask nicely. 🙂 Beyond that they just screwed together – so that was pretty easy to do. We cut the chicken wire with a pair of needle-nosed pliers and stapled it straight to the wood. The pumpkins are a smaller kind (small sugar pumpkins) but they are doing really well so far. I hope to start getting posts up with details on each of the things I’m growing and I’ll work on pumpkin first – with lots of pictures! I do have the growing pumpkins supported with sections of old t-shirt tied to the trellis. Happy Garden Planning!
  
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Melissa

July 13, 2011 at 11:43 am

Old t-shirts– that’s a good idea for a sling! I’ve been using the net bags that you buy onions in, saved all mine for almost a year. the mesh bath sponges work as well if you take them apart!

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